Tepanil News

THURSDAY, Jan. 26, 2017 – Kids with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder account for more than 6 million physician office visits a year in the United States, say U.S. health officials. An average 6.1 million trips to a doctor, pediatrician or psychiatrist by children aged 4 to 17 in 2013 involved treatment for diagnosed ADHD, according to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number represents 6 percent of all kids' visits to the doctor in 2013, said senior author Jill Ashman. She is a statistician with CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The percentage has increased from a decade earlier, when 4 percent of physician visits were related to ADHD treatment, she said. "It has increased," Ashman said. "It went from 4 million to 6 million visits per year." ADHD is characterized by inattention, overactivity and impulsivity that can ... Read more

MONDAY, Feb. 29, 2016 – Young male athletes under parental pressure to succeed are more likely to use banned substances to boost their sports performance, a new study finds. Researchers at the University of Kent in England asked 129 young male athletes, average age 17, about their attitudes on "doping" – the use of prohibited drugs, such as steroids, hormones or stimulants, to boost athletic ability. These substances, sometimes called performance-enhancing drugs, can potentially alter the human body and biological functions. However, they can be extremely harmful to a person's health, experts warn. In addition, the study participants were also asked about four different aspects of perfectionism. The four areas were: parental pressure; self-striving for perfection; concerns about making mistakes; and pressure from coaches. Only parental pressure was linked to positive feelings about ... Read more

FRIDAY, Aug. 14, 2015 – The number of American children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is rising, U.S. government experts say. And it's important for the disorder to be recognized and treated. Untreated ADHD can cause serious problems for children, such as falling behind in school, difficulty making and keeping friends, and having conflicts with parents, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Children with untreated ADHD have more emergency room visits and are more likely to have self-inflicted injuries than those who receive treatment, according to a news release from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In addition, teens with untreated ADHD are more likely to take risks, such as drinking and driving, and have twice as many traffic crashes as those who receive treatment, the FDA said. The number of American children aged 4 to 17 ... Read more

WEDNESDAY, May 20, 2015 – The number of U.S. children and teens being treated for mental health issues has risen by about 50 percent in the past 20 years – with most of those kids having relatively mild symptoms, a new study finds. The research, published in the May 21 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, comes at a time of growing concern over young people's mental health treatment. In particular, some worry that kids with milder issues are being overtreated with antidepressants, stimulants (such as those used for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and antipsychotic drugs, said lead researcher Dr. Mark Olfson, a professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University in New York City. According to Olfson, his findings suggest that kids with less serious symptoms account for a large share of young people getting mental health care – whether that means medication or ... Read more

MONDAY, Sept. 30 – Doctors don't seem to be as quick as they once were to reach for their prescription pads when treating preschoolers for mental troubles, a new study shows. The research, published online Sept. 30 in the journal Pediatrics, looked at recent trends in the use of psychotropic medications – drugs that alter mood or behavior – in children between the ages of 2 and 5. After reaching a peak between 2002 and 2005, the use of drugs such as stimulants and antidepressants to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression, respectively, leveled off between 2006 and 2009, even though diagnoses of those disorders climbed over the same time period. The study suggests that doctors may be using treatments such as behavioral therapy and counseling, instead of prescriptions, to help young kids. "Our study couldn't determine that, but that's my biggest hope, that ... Read more

WEDNESDAY, May 29 – Children taking stimulants to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) don't face a greater risk of becoming drug addicts in adulthood, researchers report. Whether or not these medications (such as Ritalin or Adderall) increase the odds of children becoming addicted later to alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, nicotine or other drugs has been debated for years, with studies coming to conflicting conclusions. "Previously, there was evidence for both increased risk and decreased risk for substance problems related to stimulant medication in the treatment of ADHD," said study author Kathryn Humphreys, a doctoral student in psychology at University of California, Los Angeles. "The present study suggests that, on average, children who received stimulant medication treatment for ADHD are at no differential risk for these substance outcomes than their counterparts ... Read more

WEDNESDAY, March 13 – Some people call it "brain doping" or "meducation." Others label the problem "neuroenhancement." Whatever the term, the American Academy of Neurology has published a position paper criticizing the practice of prescribing "study drugs" to boost memory and thinking abilities in healthy children and teens. The authors said physicians are prescribing drugs that are typically used for children and teenagers diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for students solely to improve their ability to ace a critical exam – such as the college admission SAT – or to get better grades in school. Dr. William Graf, lead author of the paper and a professor of pediatrics and neurology at Yale School of Medicine, emphasized that the statement doesn't apply to the appropriate diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. Rather, he is concerned about what he calls ... Read more

MONDAY, Feb. 11 – Most young children being treated for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD ) – either with or without medication – still have serious symptoms of their condition, according to a new long-term study. The neurobehavioral disorder interferes with the ability to concentrate. ADHD also causes restlessness, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior, which can have lasting effects on children's intellectual and emotional development. "ADHD is becoming a more common diagnosis in early childhood, so understanding how the disorder progresses in this age group is critical," study lead investigator Dr. Mark Riddle, a pediatric psychiatrist at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, said in a Hopkins news release. "We found that ADHD in preschoolers is a chronic and rather persistent condition, one that requires better long-term behavioral and pharmacological treatments than ... Read more

FRIDAY, Feb. 1 – Use of psychiatric medications is most prevalent in the southern United States and least prevalent in the West, according to a new U.S. study. Although people living in the West are the least likely to use antipsychotics, antidepressants and stimulants, the Yale researchers found that the drugs' use is 40 percent higher in a large section of the South than in other parts of the country. The study authors attributed this discrepancy to variations in local access to health care and marketing efforts within the pharmaceutical industry. "The geographic patterns we identify are striking and map onto the patterns found for a host of other medical conditions and treatments, from cognitive decline to bypass surgery," Marissa King, assistant professor of organizational behavior at the Yale School of Management, said in a school news release. "Our work suggests that access to ... Read more

FRIDAY, Jan. 25 – U.S. emergency department visits involving attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs more than doubled from 2005 to 2010, with the largest hike occurring among adults, says a new government report. In that period, such ER visits rose from about 13,400 to 31,200, according to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). "ADHD medications, when properly prescribed and used, can be of enormous benefit to those suffering from ADHD, but like any other medication they can pose serious risks – particularly when they are misused," SAMHSA administrator Pamela Hyde said in an agency news release. In adults, cases rose from about 2,100 to 8,100 among those aged 18 to 25, from about 1,750 to 6,100 among those aged 26 to 34 and from roughly 2,500 to nearly 8,000 among those over 35, during the time period. Rates among children and teens ... Read more

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 21 – For teens and adults who don't grow out of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, staying on ADHD medications may help them stay out of trouble. Males with ADHD who stayed on medications for the disorder reduced their risk of criminal behavior by 32 percent, while women who did so reduced their rates of criminal behavior by 42 percent, according to a large Swedish study. "It seems as though ADHD medications decrease the risk for criminality while under treatment," said the study's lead author, Paul Lichtenstein, professor of genetic epidemiology at the Karolinska Institute, in Stockholm. Results of the study are published in the Nov. 22 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, in New Hyde Park, said past research has ... Read more

THURSDAY, April 26 – The fourth National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is scheduled for Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says. The event gives Americans an opportunity to safely dispose of unwanted and unused prescription drugs. At the third Take-Back Day last October, participants turned in more than 377,000 pounds (188.5 tons) of unwanted or expired medications at more than 5,300 sites located in all 50 states. In total, the three Take-Back Days have taken in nearly 1 million pounds of prescription drugs during the past 13 months. "The amount of prescription drugs turned in by the American public during the past three Take-Back Day events speaks volumes about the need to develop a convenient way to rid homes of unwanted or expired prescription drugs," DEA administrator Michele Leonhart said in an agency news release. "The DEA remains hard at ... Read more